Monologues

Starting with the text

At the opening of the play the audience is introduced to the concept of people entering the Emperor's tomb with him. This is seen through the eyes of one of the Emperor's ladies. In the first scene you are given a detailed description of what happened to the Emperor, and his specifications for his tomb. Imagine what it would have been like to enter the tomb as one of the Emperor's ladies. You would have been there to tend to his body once he had died, and would have been locked in there with him to die yourself. There would have been no food or water and very little light. As one of the Emperor's ladies you would not have been used to speaking a great deal in his presence, and would not have been seen by any other men. You would have known the other ladies although it is questionable to what extent.

In these exercises you are going to consider what feelings you might have in such a situation in order to help you understand why the author has chosen to write much of the scene as monologues.

Activity

• Read through Act One Scene 1, 'The Dark Ages'. As you read, jot down any words that come to mind regarding the feelings that you think might be experienced by the characters.
• Imagine that you are one of the Emperor's ladies entering the tomb with him. You walk together as if through the tunnel leading to the tomb, past the eyes of men and into the centre of the tomb. As you do this remember why you are there: to tend to the body of the deceased Emperor and to meet your own death. Keep your thoughts focused on the situation you are in and allow yourself to experience feelings related to them. If possible, try actually acting out this piece of movement in the drama space.
• The first five scenes of 'More Light' are almost entirely written in monologue. Working with a partner or in a small group, take it in turns to read aloud a number of these monologues. Take note of any special features of the language, for example repetition and use of superlatives.
• You will notice that the monologues are written in verse. Take a section of one of the monologues (no more than 10 lines) and rewrite it as prose. In pairs or groups, compare the effect achieved by reading aloud the prose version to the original verse.
• Now talk about why you think Bryony Lavery has chosen to write the scene in this way. Consider what sort of atmosphere the monologues create. How does the rhythm of the verse contribute to this? What sense of character do the monologues convey? What would the overall effect of this style of writing have on an audience?
• Type your observations into the box below. Use at least four direct references to the text to support your ideas. Print your answer off and hand it to your teacher.